Necturus is a genus of aquatic in the family Proteidae. Species of the genus are native to the eastern United States and Canada.[ The common mudpuppy (N. maculosus) is probably the best-known species – as an amphibian with gill slits, it is often dissected in comparative anatomy classes. The common mudpuppy has the largest distribution of any fully aquatic salamander in North America.]
Taxonomy
The genus Necturus is under scrutiny by herpetology.[ The relationship between the species is still being studied. In 1991, Collins recommended N. maculosus louisianensis be elevated to full species status as N. louisianensis. Originally described by Percy Viosca as a species, it is usually considered a subspecies of the common mudpuppy ( N. maculosus). However, the interpretation of Collins was not largely followed.][ (1998). Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Washington, District of Columbia: Smithsonian Institution Press. .] A 2018 study identified two lineages (Great Lakes and Mississippi River), but did not draw conclusions about species vs. subspecies status ("Our limited samples are consistent with either interpretation." pg. 360).[
]
Species
There are seven or eight species:[
]|
|
| Alabama. |
| Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. |
| North Carolina. |
| southeastern Kansas, southern Missouri, northeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and northcentral Louisiana. |
| southern section of Canada, as far south as Georgia. |
| southeastern Alabama, the Panhandle of Florida, and southwestern to north-central Georgia. |
| southern Alabama and the Panhandle of Florida. |
| from southeastern Virginia to southcentral Georgia. |
|
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Necturus.
Two known fossil species, Necturus krausei and an unnamed species, are respectively known from the Paleocene of Saskatchewan and from Florida during the Pleistocene.
Description
Necturus are paedomorphosis: adults retain larval-like morphology with external gills, two pairs of gill slits, and no eyelids. They are moderately robust and have two pairs of short but well-developed limbs and a large, laterally compressed tail. Lungs are present but small. Typical adult size is in total length, but Necturus maculosus is larger and may reach .
N. maculosus is brown to gray on its back with bluish black spots. There may be spots on its belly, but these spots range from heavily spotted to no spotting. There are dark red bushy gills. Four toes are present per hindlimb.
Reproduction
Females lay eggs under rocks and other large cover objects in late spring and early summer.
Ecology
Necturus occur in surface waters, preferentially with clear water and rocky substrates without silt. N. maculosus live in lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks.
N. maculosus are good indicators of ecosystem health. This species has frequently been harmed via bycatch events (primarily passive ice fishing), chemical pollutants, and siltation.
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